On a tranquil meadow near Qiongkushitai village in Tekes county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Zhang Zouyuan shared an unexpected moment with a local Kazak boy beneath mountains dotted with yellow wildflowers.
The 9-year-old, with twinkling eyes and a bright smile, invited her to roll on the grass and play soccer. He later brought her to his home and offered her his favorite snacks.
"A pure friendship formed in an instant, through nothing more than an exchange of glances," Zhang recalled. "As an adult, you come to cherish such simple warmth and genuine human connection."
The encounter became one of the highlights of the 25-year-old media blogger's one-year work-exchange stay in Xinjiang.
Travelers typically arrange such stays through online platforms or by contacting guesthouse owners directly, helping with daily operations in return for accommodation and meals.
For Zhang, the exchange offered more than an affordable way to travel. It allowed her to remain in one place long enough to understand its rhythms and form relationships with the people around her.
A graduate in radio, television, and new media from Fudan University in Shanghai, Zhang decided last year to pause her career after finding that her job left her little time to visit the places she had long wanted to see.
"Work-exchange travel allows me to immerse myself in a destination, take the time to understand the local environment and build genuine connections," she said.
Zhang used her professional experience to manage the guesthouse's accounts on Xiaohongshu and Douyin, helping the business gain more followers. During the peak tourist season, she would welcome guests, help change linens and assist with other daily duties.
She also proposed new activities to enrich guests' experiences. These included visits to herders' homes, demonstrations of traditional carpet weaving, mushroom picking in forests, milking livestock and campfire concerts featuring traditional music.
During her stay, Zhang witnessed the area's guesthouse industry expand.
"Guesthouses have sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain," she said. "In our part of the mountain alone, more than a dozen new guesthouses opened within a year."
According to Zhang, many of the properties were operated by entrepreneurs who rented homes from local families. She estimated that such leases could add 100,000 to 200,000 yuan ($13,900 to $27,800) to a household's annual income.
Since Zhang was not following a conventional tour schedule, she had plenty of time to attend Kazak and Uygur celebrations in the community.
At one Kazak wedding, she watched a musician play the dombra, a two-stringed plucked instrument, while members of the host family scattered celebratory sweets and red envelopes over the newlyweds.
"The atmosphere of shared joy was truly unforgettable," she said.
